From Liger to Misogyny, Vijay Deverakonda addresses all at Kushi trailer launch event 

Vijay Deverakonda's next outing at the theatres is the upcoming romantic-drama film, Kushi. Helmed by Shiva Nirvana, the film also stars Samantha in the lead. Considering that Kushi comes a year after Liger for Vijay, and two years after Tuck Jagadish for Shiva, the makers held a grand trailer launch event at Hyderabad this week. The one-hour-long Q&A session had Vijay address many things including the failure of Liger and his take on feminism. So here's the one-stop shop to keep you covered on all that went viral.

On Kushi's shoot taking two years due to Samantha's Myositis:

The shooting for Kushi began two years ago but faced a lag soon after Samantha was diagnosed with Myositis. In fact, the actor could not make it to the trailer launch event as well.

Speaking of the same, Vijay said, "Samantha is the soul of the film. There is no Kushi without Samantha. Her health is our priority. When she was diagnosed with Myositis, we concluded half of our shoot. At that time, I suggested to Shiva that we pause the filming then and there, and continue shooting after 10 years, to show actual progression in the story. We were ready to wait for as long as required for her to return back to sets, hale and healthy."

Further adding, he said with a smile, "I miss her terribly. Well, it is a love story and my partner is not here with me to promote it."

On the failure of Liger:

Vijay's previous film Liger, which also marked his Hindi debut, was a failure both commercially, as well as critically. While the actor received heavy criticism post the film's release, he said that both hits and flops will continue to be a part of his film career.

"When a film doesn't perform or work, it does hurt. Ultimately, we are trying to tell stories and so some will work, while others won't. My ambition is always to pursue something creative, and my lifestyle is to wholeheartedly commit to it," he said, adding that he does not fear failure.

"When I fall, I get hurt. But that doesn't stop me from running. Similarly, failures are a part of this game. I will continue to do films, without any worry of success or failure," he said.

Further, talking about the criticisms of film reviewers, he said, "I don't have institutions to guide me, I make my own decisions. What will I do with stars? I would rather have a hit with thumbs-down from critics."

On being labelled a misogynist and his take on feminism:

A dialogue in the Kushi trailer goes, "People perceive me as a misogynist but I actually am a feminist." The misogynist label has been following the actor ever since his Arjun Reddy days.

So, when asked why this particular dialogue made its way into the film, Vijay said, "Now what to do, they had called me a misogynist so many times. Everybody had called me this so many times. But those who know me know who I am. So I don't need to say anything beyond that."

On his title 'The Vijay Deverakonda':

For the unversed, Vijay Deverakonda now goes by the title, The Vijay Deverakonda. The title has been making an appearance on all Kushi posters.

When asked why he chose to add 'The' before his name, he said, "Every actor has a title. Over a period of time, I got labelled 'Rowdy Star', a title that didn't quite resonate with me. Director Puri Jagannadh suggested a few titles, but I wasn't very convinced. Eventually, I realised that my parents have named me Vijay Deverakonda and I'm the one and only. That is why I have kept the title 'The Vijay Deverakonda'."